After James's parents are killed by a rogue rhinoceros, he is forced to live with his nasty aunts far from any kind of fun. But when a gigantic peach begins growing in the yard and James befriends the large insects who live inside, he sees a way to escape from his wicked aunts to New York City. JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH is a magical musical adventure based on the classic children's book by Roald Dahl, featuring an all-star cast as the voices of the assorted insects.

I remember James and the Giant Peach. Not because of its 1996 film release, but because I loved the Roald Dahl book as a kid. When the opportunity to review the films re-release came up, I immediately jumped on board -- not because of nostalgia, but because most of the film was made with stop-motion animation, and I wanted to check it out on Blu-ray. General Consensus: turns out the animations fairly cool. The rest of the film, however, is another monster. ...read the full review

This Disney film combines live action with stunning stop-motion animation as it tells the story of a child's fantastic adventure.

In the live-action prologue, a recently orphaned British boy named James comes to own a bag of glowing, magical crocodile tongues. When he drops some of them near a tree, a peach grows--and grows, until it reaches gigantic proportions. One night, James crawls inside the fruit (at which point the film becomes animated) and meets the six fascinating insects that reside within. The bugs become his new family, and together they set sail in the giant peach, floating toward New York City.

During their voyage, James and his antennaed friends experience wild adventures--and danger. And when they arrive in New York, they decide to make it their new home...and live happily ever after.

Professional Reviews

Premiere "...Some startling beauty..." - Recommended 12/01/1996 p.116

Rolling Stone "...Finally a fun-house whirl that's not just for the kids....It's bliss..." 05/16/1996 p.72

Sight and Sound "...One of the most striking works of animation of the last ten years..." 08/01/1996 p.54-5

USA Today "...JAMES is a stunner with a breathtaking array of eye-teasers..." -- 3 out of 4 stars 04/12/1996 p.1D